Gabica's exemplary achievements and performance over the past year have boost his credibility as a direct wildcard into the much-awaited tour. Gaga will be one of the 13 local entrants aspiring to join the ranks of Efren Bata Reyes, aka The Magician, Alex Pagulayan, aka The Lion, and Ronnie Alcano. He will square off against Bruno Muratore in his opening Group 4 match. A win over Muratore will see Gaga facing the winner of the match between Yang Ching-shun and Lu Hui-chan.

The 35-year-old billiards player hails from Lapu-lapuCity, Cebu. Antonio Gabica is a gold (9-ball) and silver (8-ball) medalist in the Asian Games, and is the reigning Philippines Open 9-ball Champion. I first saw Gaga play on TV in the “Search for the Tanduay No. 1 Billiards Player,” which was hosted by one of my good friends, Emil dela Paz. I particularly liked the way Gaga sizes up the table for a run-out. Indeed, Gaga has come a long way with his serious and professional take on the game! And I kid you not!

"Play with confidence. Learn the science with The AnitoKid."

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Filipino golferJuvic Pagunsan went for a final hole eagle to bag his maiden Asian Tour win at the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational tour. The 29-year-old golf sensation, who learned the intricacies of the game at the age of 13 from his father, Juanito, broke down in tears after clinching the victory and the top prize of $55,475 (Php2.44 million) with a final round 65 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Damai Indah Golf – BSD Course in Jakarta. Juvic’s seven-under-par round gave him a winning total of a 19-under-par 269 and elevated him to 33rd position on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, with total earnings of $92,027. Wow!

Juvic Pagunsan is known for his fluid swing and pleasant disposition. The Filipino golfer, who is heavily favored to win on the Asian Tour in the future, was also the tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2006. Pagunsan joined the professional rank after winning several amateur titles and taking home two gold medals in the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games. Juvic made an immediate impact and successfully negotiated the AsianTourQualifyingSchool to earn his Tour card via a 14th place finish. The Asian tour phenom also took home The Country Club Invitational title in February 2007, where he defeated Filipino golf legend Frankie Minoza in a play-off. In addition, Juvic Pagunsan had notable finishes and stints at the Philippine Open, Brunei Open, Volkswagen Masters-China on the Asian Tour, and UBS Hong Kong Open. It was in 2004 when Juvic came so close to winning the Philippine Open – and he was still an amateur then! He entered the final day as the co-leader but settled for the runner-up place, only three shots behind the champion, Edward Michaels! And I kid you not!

Other Filipino finishers at the event were Jerome Delariarte, who tied for 29th at 71-281; and Gerald Rosales, who tied for 59th at 72-386.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Filipino pool player Jeff de Luna, aka Jeff Bata, won against billiards ace Dennis Orcollo, aka Robocop, 11-9, to bag the Php2 million Manny Pacquiao International 9-Ball Open Championship. Jeff Bata, a silver medalist at the 2006 Asian Games and a proud member of Bugsy Promotion, was unbeaten at the billiards tournament, which was sponsored by Filipino boxing sensation and billiards enthusiast Manny Pacquiao aka Pacman. De Luna He received the Php1 million top prize while Orcollo settled for the Php500,000 runner-up prize. The billiards player’s championship win couldn’t have come at a better time. According to Jeff, his two kids, Alexander and Alexandra, are sick and need to be hospitalized.

Jeff Bata initially took a commanding 6-0 lead against Robocop before the latter had the chance to narrow the gap at 6-4. However, a miss by Dennis Orcollo in the 20th rack saw Jeff de Luna again on the table. De Luna never looked back and sealed Orcollo’s fate at 11-9. De Luna gained one of the finals slots by ousting my good friend Rodolfo Luat, aka Boy Samson, in the semi-finals. Boy Samson is a former US Open 9-Ball runner-up and SMB Asian 9-ball tour winner. Dennis Orcollo grabbed the other finals slot by beating Michael Feliciano, aka Fighter, 10-2, in the losers bracket. Both Luat and Feliciano took home Php150,000 each.

Jeff De Luna is one of the Philippines’ representatives in the Kabayan World 9-Ball Challenge: Philippines vs. Rest of the World billiards tournament, which will be held on November 12-13, 2007, in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

Congratulations on the championship win Jeff! Mabuhay!

"The AnitoKid is everyone's passion."

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Saturday, October 27, 2007

I am a big deal blogger and deserve to win this funny t-shirt and win $500 because I have never owned a blog shirt before! To win one from snorgtees.com and Fuel My Blog goes way beyond awesome! I call it cool! And I kid you not!

"I hope the shirts come in XXXL sizes, too!"

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Badminton has become one of the most popular sports around the world. Players from all ages have learned to love the sport because of the excitement and spectacular competition it brings. The Waitakere World Junior Badminton Championships 2007 is currently ongoing at the Trusts Stadium in WaitakereCity. The championship runs from October 25, 2007 to November 4, 2007, and features a total of 26 countries, including the powerhouses in the sport, i.e,. China, Korea, and Indonesia.

Auckland’s events calendar for the remaining day of 2007 touts more sports competitions that will have both players and spectators shouting for more! These include the Adidas Auckland Marathon (October 28); the World Netball Championships (November 10 to 17); the New Zealand Bowls Open (November 19-23); the Harbour Crossing (November 25); the ADRA Charity Run (November 25); the One Day International cricket match between the BLACKCAPS and Bangladesh (December 26); and the ASB Classic women’s tennis competition (December 31, 2007 to January 5, 2008).

Auckland is sure to buzz with all the fun and excitement that these sporting events will bring! Don’t have any place to stay? No worries! Auckland is a tourist-friendly destination and offers travelers a smorgasbord of choices! Check out these listings of the great places to stay while in Auckland, i.e., Auckland Accommodation, Auckland Hotels, and Hotels in Auckland. These sites feature the best choices for all types of accommodations in all of Auckland. And I kid you not!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

A good friend of mine from Brazil sent me this video link on how to survive a zombie attack. I say, it's one hell of a video that is in tune this Halloween! And please do not forget to check out the world's first Zombie Survival and Defense Wiki! IT IS a one-of-a-kind site!

Now, if my friends could only send me videos and posts on how corrupt government officials manage to stay in office and still have the decency to make empty promises to their constituents, hold their heads up high, sleep soundly at night, and look at people straight in the eye without batting an eyelash. I'll bet that such a video would make headlines amidst deadlines. But a video on feeding corrupt politicians to zombies would even be a better treat!And I kid you not!

Had a long and pleasant chat with my good friend, Leonardo Dodong Andam, at the AMF-SuperBowl, Makati Cinema Square, Makati City, Philippines. We talked about his career, health, family and kids, recent money matches, memorable tours, and the upcoming World Pool Championships in November 2007. Andam will compete in Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao’s International 9-Ball Open, which will be held from October 24 to 27, 2007, at the Hobbies of Asia in Pasay City, Philippines.

The Makati Pool Players Association (MAPPA) is sponsoring the Rattlesnake’s bid in the Php2-million billiards tournament. The sponsorship package includes entry fee and tour allowance. Dodong Andam will be using a Predator 314 shaft with an imported butt. The Philippines’ top pool players, i.e., Puyat Sports’ Efren Bata Reyes and Francisco Django Bustamante, will also grace the competition. Other pool masters that will see action in the tournament include Dennis Orcollo, Ronato Alcano, Warren Kiamco, and Lee Vann Corteza. The champion will receive Php1 million, while the runner-up will be Php500,000 richer. More than 100 pool players, including foreigners, are expected to join the Manny Pacquiao International 9-Ball Open. The much-awaited tournament has also been billed as a good practice round before the November 2007 World Pool Championships, which will be held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Manny Pacquiao, also known as the Pacman, is an avid pool player. I’ve personally seen him play in money matches at the Rack-and-Roll billiards bar in Malate, Manila. Believe you me, Manny IS good in billiards too! And I kid you not! The Pacman tries to hold pool tournaments right after his boxing wins as a way to promote the billiards industry and billiards players. In December 2006, Manny Pacquiao-sponsored the Panersera-Pababa 10-ball competition, which was held at the Rack-and-Roll billiards hall. Pacquiao also promoted the Manny Pacquiao 10-ball Open in General Santos in February 2007.

"It's total control of the white with The AnitoKid."

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Monday, October 22, 2007

Shareholders of Apple Inc. are in for a treat! Apple’s market share for personal computers is surging at an all time high! Computer industry analysts forecast that AAPL would move into third place in the United States behind Hewlett-Packard and Dell after it reports product shipments in the fiscal fourth quarter (part of its earnings announcement).

On October 26, 2007, Friday, Apple Inc. will debut its Leopard operating system, which integrates a range of features that have both analysts and users going ga-ga over it. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs believes that the Leopard will bring about a schedule of product upgrades, which could continue for as long as a decade! As you all know, AAPL has put out major releases of its OS on the average of one per year. Leopard, which offers more than 300 new features, is the sixth major upgrade that Apple Inc. has made to the Mac OS X since the operating system was launched in 2001. Such product pacing has allowed it to outshine Microsoft Corporation(MSFT), which took five to seven years to debut Windows Vista after launching Windows XP. Despite the long wait, Vista still failed to excite customers both on the enterprise and personal computing levels. Even MSFT’s plans to release an update for its Vista in the first quarter of 2008 and to offer a service pack for Windows XP in the first half of the year didn’t help boost Vista’s popularity. And by 2010, the year that Microsoft is set to release its next OS, i.e., Windows 7, Apple would have already debut two novel versions of its OS! Thus, translating to more market share for the Mac against the dangerously declining share of the PC! It doesn’t take a genius to determine what this means in the long run!

Apple Inc.’s pricing strategy for the Leopard is also worth noting. Amidst the multiple editions of Vista (different features at different prices), Apple has set a single price for its Leopard, i.e., $129. No home edition, no pro version, no ultimate set, whatsoever! And get this! The $129 price tag on the Leopard for single user and the $199 package for a family pack (up to 5 in a household) is way below that of the Ultimate edition of Vista, which sells for $250!

I remember reading the views of some analysts who said that the Leopard will only have an indirect effect on Macintosh sales and Apple Inc.’s financial performance. Hey guys! Guess what? Leopard will add $240 million to Apple’s next quarter, which is almost double the $125 million that the company realized from Tiger during its initial quarter (Piper Jaffray & Co.'sGene Munster). AAPL is forecast (Gartner) to grow by more than 37% based on expected shipments of 1,338,000 computers (8.1% share of the US market, up by 2 percentage points from previous year figures). Now, contrast that with the 4.7% demand for new PCs (third quarter), and this is even below the projected 6.7%! Tsk. Apple Inc. has significantly outpaced its rivals in the United States, particularly in the shift towards portable computers. Laptop technology has improved by a thousand percent in the last 10 years. Indeed, notebooks now are true desktop replacements. How much do I truly believe this? Well, all my computers at home are laptops.

Here’s an interesting thought. Is it a coincidence that 2007 is the first year that notebook computers have made up more than 50% of computer sales in the US and that two-thirds of Apple machines sold in the country were laptops? Top that off with AAPL’s share of home PC revenue, which increased in the last four quarters. Wait! This still doesn’t even include the huge surge in demand for Apple Inc.’s MacBook and MacBook Pro this holiday season! According to results of Solutions Research Group’s survey, Apple-branded technology products are in the top five overall with one-in-six considering purchase! Why the surge in popularity? In their respective categories, Apple Inc.’s MacBook and MacBook Pro are much better products than the others! Pound for pound! Plain and simple! An exciting feature that always comes to mind is "Boot Camp" that lets users install and utilize Microsoft's Windows on Macs! A Genius demonstrated this feature to me at the PowerMacCenter, 2nd Level Greenbelt 3, AyalaCenter, Makati City, Philippines. I was totally wowed by it! Where in the world can you find such a computer? This and the 300 plus new features of Leopard have got me wishing for a 13-inch MacBook this Christmas, too!

All of these developments and more translate to a very happy holiday season for Steve Jobs, Apple Inc., and its shareholders. And I kid you not!

Ivana TrumpQuote: "Fiction writing is great.You can make up almost anything."

Arnold SchwarzeneggerQuote: "I think gay marriage is somethingthat should be between a man and a woman"

Jessica SimpsonQuote: "I'm not anorexic. I'm from Texas.Are there people from Texas that are anorexic?I've never heard of one. And that includes me."

Dan QuayleQuote: "The Holocaust was an obscene periodin our nation's history.I mean in this century's history.But we all lived in this century.I didn't live in this century."

Linda EvangelistaQuote: "It was God who made me so beautiful.If I weren't, then I'd be a school teacher."

Christina AguileraQuote: "So, where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?"

Brooke Shields

Quote: "Smoking kills. If you're killed,you've lost a very important part of your life"

Tara Reid

Quote: "I make Jessica Simpson look like a rock scientist."

Alicia SilverstoneQuote: "I think that the film 'Clueless' was very deep.I think it was deep in the way that it was very light.I think lightness has to come from a very deep placeif it's true lightness"

At this point in time, experts believe that the explosion which rocked Glorietta 2 was caused by a bomb, not a LPG tank. Eight persons died, while more than a hundred were injured. According to the Philippine Red Cross, as of midnight, a total of 113 persons are on the injured list. Five persons are still missing. The police are on heightened alert.

Glorietta 2 has been determined as Ground Zero. Preliminary pictures show a large crater. The walls and ceiling of the Glorietta have been completely destroyed by the blast! More than 100 stalls were damaged and scores of stores were completely destroyed by the explosion! Shockwaves also shattered the windows of nearby establishments and damaged countless vehicles in the vicinity of the mall. The management of AyalaLand Inc. decided to close Glorietta 1, 2, 3, and 4 after the incident. A RedCrossCenter has been put up in front of Park Square 2.

Ayala Land Inc.’s (ALI) Fernando Zobel de Ayala personally visited Ground Zero and some of the families of those who died in the explosion. ALI promised to shoulder the victims’ medical costs. According to doctors, the victims suffered from blast injuries in different forms, e.g., body and facial area. Most are still stunned. Meanwhile, tensions mount at the MakatiMedicalCenter as medical personnel continue to bring in survivors. Hundreds of Filipinos continue to flock to MakatiMedicalCenter to determine the fate of their love ones. Most have been described as emotional.

Ayala Land Inc. is still investigating the nature of the explosion. Tomorrow, October 20, 2007, the company’s structural engineers will visit the Glorietta mall to determine the full extent of the damage and assess the integrity of the building to determine and address safety concerns.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Avelino Razon Jr. believes that the explosion was caused by a bomb, not a LPG tank. Razon ruled out LPG leak as the cause of the blast due to the extent of the damage that the explosion wrought upon its surroundings. There was also no sign of a fire after the blast! Importantly, components of C4 and other explosives have been found at the scene! Experts estimated that at least 2 kilos of high explosive were used! Police are still recovering pieces of evidence to reconstruct bomb and determine possible reasons for the explosion. From there, they will start the investigation.

It was past 7:00 PM when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, together with Health Secretary Francisco Duque and Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral, went to the MakatiMedicalCenter to visit the victims. Two patients are still in critical condition. Four have been declared Dead on Arrival; two males, two females. According to doctors, the survivors suffered injuries in the category of blast injuries. After 30 minutes, Arroyo left the hospital.

Members of the Presidential Security Group escorted Health Secretary Francisco Duque back to the MakatiMedicalCenter. Duque pledged that the government will take care of the victims’ medical expenses.

A total of 34 persons were brought to the Ospital ng Makati. Most of the victims suffered from bruises and broken bones. A significant number had head injuries. All showed evident signs of trauma from the incident. At this point in time, only two remain in the said hospital.

The PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been placed on Full Alert and Red Alert, respectively, after the incident. The duration of the alerts will depend on the outcome of the assessments of the PNP and AFP in the next 24 hours. Police and K-9 units have been placed on inspection duty at key points in the metro, e.g., petroleum depots, Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations, and the NinoyAquinoInternationalAirport. Police visibility is the order of the day.

"We express our condolences to the victims and their families who suffered from the explosion at the Glorietta mall in MakatiCity," a statement issued by CBCP said.

CBCP President Angel Lagdameo said the explosion has diverted the nation’s focus and added up to the “common national problems" seeking a satisfactory solution. Lagdameo called on Filipinos to pray for the solution of the country's problems.

Earlier this week, Lagdameo lamented what he called the "moral bankruptcy" of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. - I totally agree! And I kid you not!

-- Maraming Salamat Po! --

About Me

aka The Champ. A Filipino! Born on the 24th of July. Plays the piano, guitar, and the clarinet. Collects books and stamps. Very much into billiards, fishing and photography. A Financial Analyst, Business Analyst, and Information Scientist. A pool player. A Student of Life - Seeking Alpha certified. And I kid you not!